2006 Summer Movie Preview: June

There are two must-see movies in this group in “Cars” and “Superman Returns.” And while “Nacho Libre” and “The Break-Up” may turn out to be pleasant surprises (though maybe not, since the test audiences hate both endings to “Break-Up”), in the end, June is no May. To its credit, it still looks better than July.

The Pitch: A woman (Aniston) breaks up with her boyfriend (Vaughn), but neither one wants to leave the condo they share. They then play mind games to drive the other out, or to lure them back. The Buzz: Oh boy, where to begin on this one? The test audiences hated the ending (the public demands that Aniston have a happy ending), so they rounded everyone up, sent them back to Chicago and shot a different, Aniston-friendly ending, and the test audiences hated that one even more. The studio, it appears, is screwed, which is too bad because the trailer is hilarious. Trailer Highlight: John Michael Higgins singing “Owner of a Lonely Heart.” Oh, and the shot of a naked – and presumably shaved – Aniston walking through the apartment while Vaughn is playing video games. Bottom Line: It’ll be big, thanks to Vaughn, but not “Wedding Crashers” big. Official Web Site: http://www.thebreakupmovie.net/

The Pitch: A souped up hot rod (Wilson) gets laid up in back country Radiator Springs, where a grizzled vet (Newman) teaches him a few things about life and love. The Buzz: Disney, wisely, quit playing hard to get with Pixar and got into bed with them once and for all (this is the last movie to be distributed under their original deal)…so why are we worried? They even stooped to listing the names of the voice talent in the advertising for the first time, which is disconcerting. The trailer isn’t particularly attention-grabbing, but neither were the trailers for “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters, Inc.”Trailer Highlight: “I swear, every third blink is slower.” “The ‘60s weren’t good to you, were they?”Bottom Line: You’d be hard pressed to find bigger Pixar fans than us. But this one has us concerned. Could the streak be over?Official Web Site: http://www.disney.go.com/disneypictures/cars/

Five bucks says his mother dyed his hair
blonde after he finished shooting this
movie.

The Pitch: More remakes! At least this time they chose to remake something good; the original “Omen,” which tells the tale of a diplomat who realizes that his son is the devil incarnate, is one of the godfathers of horror.The Buzz: As the moviegoing public becomes one big group of gore hounds (witness the box office tallies for “When a Stranger Calls,” “The Hills Have Eyes,” and the “Saw” movies), this will surely have a huge opening weekend, and they certainly cast it well. Our question is: how many pregnant women will risk their very lives to avoid giving birth on the day this movie opens (6/6/06)? Trailer Highlight: It’s a quick cut, but the scene with the nanny, which was easily the creepiest scene in the original. Bottom Line: We hope they put more emphasis on story than they do on gore. That’s not a given these days. Official Web Site: http://www.theomenmovie.com/

The Pitch: A Mexican priest (Black) moonlights as a lucha libre wrestler to raise money for a struggling orphanage.The Buzz: Black is at his absolute best when he’s playing these kinds of oddball characters, and the massive cult following of director Hess’ “Napoleon Dynamite” is more than enough to fill the seats.Trailer Highlight: Do we have to pick just one?Bottom Line: Jack Black as a Mexican wrestler? Are you kidding me, this is comedy gold!Official Web Site: http://www.nacholibre.com/

The Pitch: An American outsider (Black) travels to Tokyo, where he discovers the high-adrenaline sport of drift racing.The Buzz: The past installments of the racing franchise have all been a blast to watch, and we liked what we saw of Black from his small role in “Jarhead,” but does the kid have what it takes to carry a film?Trailer Highlight: The racing… duh! Oh, and the hot Japanese girls too.Bottom Line: Fast cars and sexy girls. Official Web Site: http://www.thefastandthefurious.com/

The Pitch: IMDb says it all: A lonely doctor (Sandra Bullock) who once occupied an unusual lakeside home begins exchanging love letters with its newest resident, a frustrated architect (Keanu Reeves). When they discover that they're actually living two years apart, they must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.The Buzz: Info is hard to come by, as there’s no official site or trailer at press time, but the premise (it’s a remake of the South Korean film “Siworae”) is intriguing. Trailer Highlight: No trailer at press time. Bottom Line: This summer’s “Dark Water,” though hopefully more successful. Official Web Site: N/A

The Pitch: A workaholic father (Sandler) is given a magical remote control with the power to rewind, pause, and fast-forward his life.The Buzz: If this were being made by Disney, Tim Allen would have probably been cast in the lead role. Lucky for us, Sandler snatched the part, bringing with him a whole company of talent. Let us not forget the inspired casting of Walken as the kooky scientist and Hasselhoff as the overbearing boss. That alone is worth ten bucks.Trailer Highlight: Sandler pressing the slo-mo button on his remote control as a hot girl runs past him down the street.Bottom Line: Sandler hasn’t let his fans down yet.Official Web Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/click/index.html

The Pitch: Three words: Garfield’s European VacationThe Buzz: Did the first “Garfield” really make enough money to justify/necessitate a sequel? Trailer Highlight: How about a lowlight: there are no shots of the racktastic Jennifer Love Hewitt. Bottom Line: Wouldn’t your kids be better off seeing “Cars” again instead?Official Web Site: N/A

The Pitch: After leaving Earth for several years, the Man of Steel finally returns, only to discover that the city of Metropolis has learned to survive without him.The Buzz: Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet, but the buzz mounting on this freight train is too much even for the Man of Steel to handle. We also like the decision to cast an unknown (Routh) in the lead role, but the rumored archive footage of Brando scares us. Trailer Highlight: The money shot of Superman hovering in outer space.Bottom Line: This is the biggest movie of the summer. You’ll see it, even if you don’t want to.Official Web Site: http://supermanreturns.warnerbros.com/

The Pitch: Based on the best-selling novel about a woman (Hathaway) who gets a job at a New York magazine with a demon of a boss (Streep). The Buzz: Talk about counter-programming. Resident BE female Buffybot says the casting of Streep is inspired, and we really wish we could care about that. Trailer Highlight: No trailer available at press time. Bottom Line: Hey, doesn’t something else open that weekend? Some movie about a man, who’s super, thanks for asking?Official Web Site: N/A